Yankee's August Scent

Mountain Lake



I have expressed my dislike for Yankee's outdoor scents before. To me, they're too strong and all smell like men's cologne so this is no different. "A refreshing retreat ... the cooling scent of mountain pines and cypress with notes of lily and musk."

July 2011 Birchbox Review

KIND Fruit & Nut Almond & Apricot Bar

This should be called Almond COCONUT Apricot Bar because I tasted coconut the most (which is one my favorite tastes and smells so I thought this was yum! The nuts were crunchy but the bar overall was soft and you could pull it apart easily, It's bendable as opposed to something that breaks off in pieces. It has to be all that yummy honey that holds it all together. It's pretty darn good for you too. Nutrition Facts: All natural, Gluten & Wheat free, Low Glycemic Index, 5g of fiber, non gmo and no trans fats, dairy free, very low sodium, no sulphur dioxide. Wow that's a lot of stuff to just put on the front of the label. I haven't even gotten to the ingredients list yet - basically it's honey, nuts, and fruit and it's yummy. I think I've seen this sold on QVC. Yup - they have an assortment on their website of 2 different flavors, 18 bars for $37. I don't think I would go searching for these or buy them online since they have comparisons in stores but if I were to see this exact brand readily accessible, I'd buy one.

Zoya Polish in Shay

This was the first time I've tried Zoya nail polish and I really liked it. So far, my favorite polishes are Essie and Zoya. This polish stayed on my nails without chipping for a couple days and had a little bit of luminescence to it. It's a great nude color for an understated clean look. Next time I'd like to try something more vibrant.

AHAVA Mineral Hand Cream

The texture of this hand cream is great. It's similar to a cream to powder finish - velvety smooth. The product soaks into your hands almost immediately without any greasy residue. Unfortunately, it smells like baby powder to me so I won't be purchasing a full size. (I can't stand baby powder scents.)

Philosophy Purity Made Simple

Honestly, I haven't even opened this. I'm saving it for a travel cleanser since I don't seem to have one. I've used this before and I remember not being a huge fan. They claim that it "melts" all the makeup right off your face and yeah it might do that but it's full of oils and I think this made me break out before. I don't mind the smell, some don't like it. This product is very highly reviewed and gets very mixed reviews. Check them out if you're still curious.

Redken Shine Flash

My curly hair is naturally shiny so I have no need for this produst so I included it in my most recent giveaway!


Sorry it took me so long to get this review up. I don't write on here that often anymore but I'm still gonna continue it. Honestly, if you're wanting more in depth reviews on products I feature in my youtube videos, follow me on twitter because it's sooo much easier and quicker to portray my thoughts on there. Thanks for watching/reading!

Yankee's July Scent

Sun and Sand



I remember liking this one from last year. More fresh than beachy but not over the top. "A tropical beach breeze of sweet orange flower, lemony citrus, fresh lavender and powdery musk." Reading those notes made me like this scent even more.

June Birchbox Review

Go to my Youtube Channel to see the video of me unwrapping the actual Birchbox.

Twirl by Kate Spade eau de parfum

This perfume is feminine and girly but it is way too strong for me. I would call it a fresh fruity floral, I guess. All I could think of when I sprayed it was "way too perfumey". If you like bold scents, then this is one to check out and it will definitely last all day long. I'm just not a fan of bold in-your-face fragrance.

Laura Geller Blush n' Brighten in Apricot Berry

I'm still stoked that I received this full size product in a $10 Birchbox that came with other goodies too. I used this the first day I opened the box. I must tell you this - a little goes a LONG way. I made the mistake of swiping my brush all over the compact, maybe even doing it twice, and I looked a little bit like a clown (or at least that's what I thought). The color is pretty - it definitely comes across as apricot with coral colors. I love the luminescence of it though. It's one of those colors that looks ten times better in the sun because it brings out other colors that you can't see otherwise and it gives you a great glow. Just be careful not to put too much on and be very careful where you put it. I used it as a blush and put an additional highlighter on top of it and above it to tone down the color. I think this is great for summer and will definitely keep using it.

Herban Essentials Orange Towelettes

This smelled really good. While I was using it on my hands, it smelled like a real fresh orange or tangerine, really juicy. Then my hands smelled like an orange creamsicle afterwards. The pad itself was in the shape of a rectangle and it had little holes in it as opposed to most handi wipes. It was soft and non-abrasive, a good size, and had the right amount of saturation. I had to wait a little bit for my hands to dry completely but they weren't sticky afterwards. Maybe a little dry but my hands were left feeling cleaner than they would after using a B&BW pocketbac. Plus I love towelettes because they're small and flat so they don't take up any room in a purse or suitcase and there's no chance of spilling. I checked out their website and they have other aromatherapy wipes too used for multi-purpose like eucalyptus, lavender, and lemon. I might consider purchasing a full size pack of these.

Kiehl's Ultra Facial Oil Free Lotion

I don't think I like this product. The texture is fine, it's a cream but kind of a mixture between serum and cream. It's very light and soaks into the skin right away after putting it on. I could have used a little more moisture and I have oily combination skin in the summer. It definitely didn't prevent shine or oil throughout the day. My nose was very shiny (with no makeup) by mid day and I noticed my cheeks were also very red. Did you ever get a warming sensation on your skin after awhile of putting on a product? Like it's effective at doing something yet it's not making your skin feel very pretty in the meantime. This was an example of that. I thought I would love this product but I don't. I probably won't use the whole bottle. I might just throw it in my travel bag for when I go away.

Xen-Tan Deep Bronze Luxe Self Tanner

I thought I would give this a try, but who am I kidding? I hate self tanners. I don't need to be tan so I don't see the point. They all have flaws in my opinion so it's not worth it for me if I don't even care about the color of my skin tone. So sorry, there is no review of this product. It's the "throw away" item of this month's Birchbox for me - kinda like last month's Archipelago soap bar.

Stay tuned for next month and go to my Youtube channel at http://www.youtube.com/user/Scentmyway for my whole collection of videos.

MoneyPenny SoySations Soy Melts Review

Yankee's June Scent

Black Cherry


I love Yankee's Black Cherry. I have tried this scent in other tart vendors and haven't like it as much. It's a good transitional scent from spring to summer. "The absolutely delicious sweetness of rich, ripe black cherries. "

Birchbox May 2011 Review

So in case you haven't seen my video of my first birchbox, I have signed up for the program. If you're not familiar with it, you can check it out at http://www.birchbox.com/. It's a monthly subscription where you get deluxe beauty samples delivered to your door every month for $10/mth and they have some pretty big brands that participate. What a great concept - a Christmas present every month. Well the video was just a haul type style of opening the box and showing the products. I decided I would review the products after using them here on my blog. I decided to do this after I threw away the actual birchbox and one of the products so Sorry! I don't have the most comprehensive pictures this time but I will from now on - promise!

Ahava Time to Clear Purifying Mud Mask

This was my favorite product in the box. It goes on like a thin mud and it does dry and turn brown on the skin. I love that it dries and makes the skin tight which I like to think is the point of masks. I've tried some that just stay wet until you take them off but I love the feeling of this one. It says apply liberally but it's not really thick. It's a semi-thin consistency. You only leave it on for 2 minutes which goes by SO fast, then you rinse it off. It says it is approved for sensitive skin as well. Sometimes my skin can be sensitive and I had no problems using this mask. My skin was really smooth after using this product and not red or irritated. I would consider buying this in full size.

Jouer Luminizing Moisture Tint

I didn't think I would like this since I'm not usually a fan of anything "luminizing" that makes my skin look shiny but I was surprised by this. I probably wouldn't buy this in full size but I received 2 samples of this and will definitely use both. Plus it's SPF 20 (great), oil free, and hypoallergenic. I think this shade is in pearl but it matched my skin fine. The coverage was pretty good for a tinted moisturizer. I think I bought one once from Cover Girl and it pretty much did nothing but this was almost like a light coverage foundation. And my skin didn't look or feel greasy but it actually was luminescent and glowy. I did a very natural eye and lip and it was perfect for a hot summer day. Am I the only one that hasn't heard of this brand before?

Jouer Lip Gloss

This was totally forgettable. I used it once and have no desire to use it again. It has no flavor or scent (boring) and it hardly had any color or shimmer. There's more in the tube than shows up on the lips. I have to say one big pro was that it was probably the smoothest lip gloss ever - no stickiness at all. But that's not enough to get me to use it again. I need color, shimmer, scent, or taste - SOMETHING!

Kerastase Reflection Luminous Softening Shampoo for Highlighted or Color Treated Hair

 I still haven't used this. Haha. So why did I include this in this review? I don't know. Probably because I could take a picture of it since I still had it.

The last item was a bar of soap from Archipelago in Pomegranate. I threw that away. I think it was a sample that's used in hotel rooms. It has no scent - in fact, it smelled kinda gross because it was soooo soapy. My hands weren't extremely dry after washing them, but come on, I have to have some sort of scent to keep using it with all the great scented soap bars out there now.

I can't wait for June's Birchbox!!!!!